#1910 Dancing with the Devil
Dancing with the Devil
Four months in, a dad shares how a family holiday nearly ended in tragedy — his 15-month-old rushed into DKA after being sent home twice with a “chest infection.”
Jump to a moment
- DKA can hide behind a “chest infection.” Heavy, labored breathing, mottled or cold skin, listlessness, and constant thirst are red flags — if a young child looks this sick, ask specifically for a finger-stick blood glucose check.
- Splitting the basal helped overnight. Dosing Levemir twice a day — roughly half in the morning, half at night — steadied the overnight lows that a single bedtime dose had been causing in a small child.
- For a toddler who may not finish a meal, timing matters. Instead of pre-bolusing a full meal he might refuse, bolus as the food goes in — or pre-bolus only the carbs you’re certain he’ll eat (like his milk or peanut butter on toast), then dose the rest once he’s actually eating.
- Caregiver exhaustion is a real risk. Broken sleep from checking a child every half hour catches up with you physically, even when you don’t notice it — protecting your own rest and mental health is part of managing the diabetes.
- Community is comfort. Tom found that simply hearing other families’ stories was reassurance that “it’s not just you” — a reminder that shared experience is one of the unsung support systems of a new diagnosis.
- Bold Beginnings Series — Scott’s starting-point series for the newly diagnosed — the foundational how-to for the first months with type one.
- Diabetes Pro Tip Series — The next-level management series Scott points Tom toward once the basics start to click.
- mylife YpsoPump (Ypsomed) — The algorithm-driven pump Kylo started on — offered on the NHS for children under two.
- DAFNE — Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating — The UK type one education programme Scott recommends; heard on tape as “DAPHNE.”
Every word of the conversation
Meet Tom — four months in0:00
Welcome back, friends, to another episode of the Juice Box podcast.
I'm Tom. I'm from Dorset, England, and my son was diagnosed with type one diabetes four months ago.
Nothing you hear on the juice box podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan. Today's podcast is sponsored by US Med, usmed.com/juicebox. You can get your diabetes supplies from the same place that we do, and I'm talking about Dexcom, Libre, Omnipod, Tandem, and so much more. Usmed.com/juicebox or call (888) 721-1514.
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Four months ago. Wow.
Four months ago.
Yeah. Twenty twenty six. How old is he?
Now he's just nearly 20. So diagnosis, was 15.
Oh, Tom. How many kids do you have?
Just one. And only one now.
Yeah. Like, this was our first try.
Yeah. We did something wrong straight away.
We'll just mess everything up right in the beginning, and that way we'll have plenty of time to fix it. What what how long have you been married?
We've been married two years, three years this year.
Tom, how old are you?
I am 32.
32. You've been married about three years. And Yeah.
But been together for eleven now, I think.
Oh, wow. Yeah. How'd that take so long?
Life, you know, gets in the way, don't it?
Yeah. Certainly does. Wait till you see. That thing's gonna really double for you.
Oh, I bet.
Oh my gosh. Well, first of all, I'm sorry. That's, terrible. And, I can't imagine how upsetting it must have been for a young family to go through all that.
It was intense. Yeah.
Yeah. No kidding. What were, did your your wife your you you're mad. Yeah. Did your wife have gestational diabetes by any chance or anything?
No. She didn't. No. We were checked, obviously, but all that was good.
Mhmm. And in the family, other autoimmune stuff or type one in either side?
Yeah. So, obviously, because of this, we've started digging into our family history a bit. And on my wife's side, she's got her dad has the hypothyroid, I think Mhmm. Is what it's called. And then on my side, a couple of distant cousins.
One of them has celiac. Okay. Yeah. You found a little Yeah. Nothing really.
Well, now but now you got the type one. Yeah. Yeah. What you would would you tell me what you named your son?
I named him Kylo.
Kylo? Yeah. From the movie?
Well, my wife said that we were looking at names, and she was like, oh, I really like Kylo. And I was like, oh, yeah. From Star Wars. And she was like, no. I was like, well, let's go with it anyway.
Just
so you know
She let me pick the middle name. So How
does she let you pick the middle name? Yeah. Very nice of her to let you do that.
Yeah. I know.
Well so in your mind, he's named after a Star Wars character. In her mind, it's something she saw in a book that she thought was attractive?
Exactly. Yeah.
Listen. However it works. I I need to I guess I need to understand what you guys saw, how you figured out that he had type one.
A holiday in Cape Verde4:13
Yeah. So we were on holiday at the time. We were at Cape Verde. Mhmm. We'd been treated to a free vacation, basically, because of the death in the family.
So the the death it's my stepdad's dad. His wife treated us all to this trip to Cape Verde. So we were out there and everything was going fine. It was we landed on New Year's Eve of last year. Yeah.
We thought, oh, it's gonna be a perfect start to the year. Here we go. You know, seven days in the sunshine, all that. And from the start, he was a little bit not himself. He was sort of clingy.
You know, he he didn't wanna get down from being held and stuff like that. Mhmm. Whereas, normally, he'd love to sort of play around and stuff. But just more and more as the days went on, we started noticing more and more that he wasn't himself. He was really slow.
He was drinking a lot, but he's drunk a lot his whole life. So I I don't know if that's, you know, that was anything different to us at the time. But so he started wetting the nappies before we went away. Yeah. But because of his age and stuff, we were swapping between nappies nappie sizes.
So we just thought, oh, that's what that is. You know? It's it's just him growing, and we're getting the nappy sizes wrong. But then on holiday, he started throwing up. So sorry.
I'm just gonna check. I wrote this all down because I'm pretty good at forgetting stuff. So
You're good at forgetting? Listen. So far, you're doing a great job. Except if you would have said we went on holiday to Tatooine, I think that would have been amazing.
Know, it was like Tatooine. It was just sand and rocks. Yeah. So so he he didn't wanna do anything while we're on holiday. He was just cuddling me the whole time.
Mhmm.
And a couple of days before we were set to leave, maybe three days, his his breathing started going a bit funny. He was, like, you know, just short of breath all the time.
Yeah.
So we we were asking like, my mom was there and stuff. We were asking what this could be, and she was like, maybe it's croup or something like that. Maybe he's caught something on the plane. And then the next day, it was still really bad. He was just he wasn't eating any food, just drinking water and just breathing really heavily.
“Just a chest infection”6:46
So we took him to the doctors on the island. It's it's like this resort, and they've got, like, a on call doctor there, basically. Yeah. So we took him to the doctors. They did some basic checks.
They didn't check his blood, but I guess they weren't thinking it was diabetes at the time. So they they checked his blood. No. Sorry. They didn't check his blood.
They checked his height, weight, all that, and decided that he had a chest infection and basically gave us some medicine for that and sent us on our way.
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The flight home, fighting for breath9:30
But then the day we were supposed to go, so we'd been up on all the night before, worried about him checking on him, make sure know, he was still alive basically because his breathing was so bad. And that that morning, he was just like his skin was mottled. He was his hands and feet were cold. Everything, you know, just terrifying us. So we went and got another check with the doctor, and they were like, no.
It's alright. It's a chest infection. He's alright to fly. We're like, okay. And so we ended up flying back to England.
And the whole time on the plane, his breathing was really bad. He just didn't wanna do anything. He slept for a lot of it. And when we landed, we were just like, right. We're gonna we're gonna it was about a three hour drive back to our county from the airport.
Mhmm. And we we're like, right. We're we're just gonna do the drive, get back there because it's a really good hospital, especially for children, our local hospital. So we're we're thinking, right. We'll just get him back there.
And in the car, his breathing was just like he he got so bad and sorry.
No. Tom, can I tell you something? Yeah. I'm gonna cry, just so you know. I think it's No.
You don't need to cry.
No. No. No. I'm telling you, like, it's just to sit and listen to your words and picture, you know, a baby that age, and and also having a daughter who went through something similar. I mean, she's a little older.
She was two when it happened to her. Yeah. But I know what you were going through, and I also understand the medical implications of the the stuff that you're describing. Like, you know, your your little baby is dying there, you're dragging them from Cape Verde to England and then trying to, you know and and now you're thinking about it. So take your time.
It's okay.
Perfect. Yeah. And so on the journey, his voice, he was, like, going, like, you know, like it felt like he was sort of, like, gripping on, which we didn't think he was at the time, but clearly, was. Poor little guy was fighting for his life.
Yeah.
The resuscitation room11:44
But so we we get to the A And E. We sit in the triage. It was about three in the morning at that point when we got to the A And E, So there was no one else there. They we sat there for maybe five minutes, came in. The nurse asked, you know, this and that.
Is everything alright? Checked her checked his finger, you know, did the blood glucose. Then next thing she's like, Oh, just follow me please. She was fast walking, Olympic athlete level walking from the triage straight into the ICU. At that point, my wife and I were like, Oh, what's going on here?
It's supposed to be a chest infection. Why are we doing this? Then before you know it, we were in the Resuscitation Room of the ICU. 15 nurses and doctors and stuff were in there. They were putting cannulas into his hands, his feet.
They couldn't get enough blood out there, so they ended up putting a cannula in his jugular as well.
Oh gosh.
He had a tube down his nose and, obviously, like, oxygen and blood monitors and stuff like that. So he had wires coming out of everywhere, tubes coming out everywhere. And then that's while while they were sort of, you know, prepping and prepping him in there, they would explain to us that he was in DKA. Mhmm. Obviously, we had no idea what that was.
You're like, no. It's a chest infection.
Yeah. Literally. Well, like, the doctors in
The doctor from the love boat told me that it was just a chest infection.
Yeah. Exactly. So so and at this point, I I guess I don't know really, but he he just before he was sort of, you know, crying not crying out, but, you know, like, making noises and pain and stuff. I think at this point, his body had just, like, you know, completely been like, right. They're doing this because he he didn't even cry when the cannula went in his jugular.
He was just sort of limp there. The the one thing that I was super happy with is at the start, they said, you can lay on the bed with him and have him on your chest. Mhmm. So I laid on the bed with him, and I literally didn't leave that bed for about ten hours while they were, you know, working on him, doing stuff.
Yeah.
And they they prepped him. They they explained to us that they might have to induce him into a coma and take him to a nearby, like, big hospital. And at that point, I think me and my wife were just like, oh, this is serious, serious. But luckily, his level started to flip the other way, and so that wasn't on the table anymore.
That's pretty awesome that they were able to do that. Yeah.
I that this hospital gets, you know, pretty good. I wouldn't say reviews, but, you know, everyone says that it's a really good hospital, especially for kids. And
You'll be you'll be one of the people saying that in the future too. That's
Absolutely. Yeah. No. I'm sure we'll talk about it later, but their their whole children's ward and stuff is incredible.
That's awesome. Hey. Listen. Are while this is happening, your wife and you, are you are you separated from each other? That like, I don't mean physically.
I mean, like, are you interacting with each other or are you so stuck inside your own body in your head that it's hard to even know that she's there?
No. Actually, because so my wife, she won't mind me saying this, but she's quite a nervous person or anxious. She she's not good in, like, high high stakes situations like that. So as well as sort of, you know, holding my son, Kylo. I was looking over to check.
She was okay. He's sort of calming her down saying, it's alright. We're in the best place we can be. Luckily, my grandma my mom, sorry, Kylo's grandma, decided to come with us to the hospital instead of going back to her home.
Okay.
And so she was there to comfort my wife as well while I was sort of, you know, looking after Kylo a bit.
Yeah. That's something you feel like an adult, and then all of sudden, you're like, thank god my mom's here.
Literally. Yeah. Yeah. No kidding. I feel like that way too often.
Well, I'll tell you, when your kids are sick, it it it it may used to make me feel like I was five, and I didn't know what was happening all the time. You you know? And you're you're dying for somebody to tell you something, and, you know, oftentimes, you know, if you're lucky like that and your family can be around, that's really wonderful. So you're the one that laid in the bed. My wife did the, I my my wife sat with Arden for, I think, for, like, a day and a half or two days in a bikini because we we because we came from a it was like a beach, and my wife was just in a sarong and a bikini, like, they like, holding her, and I don't think she ever got up.
Like, she just held her the whole time with all the tubes and everything, and Yeah. It is very it it once you see the you know, like, once you get to the part where you're like, wow. This is, a life or death situation. It every everything just, you know, kinda goes away except for what's happening. How long until he was back to himself?
Coming back to himself16:43
So he probably took about a day before he was getting more like himself. He's he's he's such a lovely little boy. He's so bubbly and happy and cheerful and smart and just the best. And so seeing him like that was just, you know, horrible. But but he first, he was just sort of more himself around us, but as soon as any nurse come came in, he'd just be like, no.
Like, basically telling him no. And but by the by the end of our stay in the hospital, he was running around the wards, being funny with the nurses and you know? So it it took probably a day until I started seeing him again. Mhmm. But it did worry me actually because one part of it, they took us in for a CT and a chest X-ray to make sure he didn't have any fluid on in his chest or brain.
And when they said that that was a option, you know, that that could be a thing that they wanted to check, me not seeing him how he was, I just thought, oh my goodness. Is this why he's not him? You know? Yeah. But luckily, all of that came back negative.
So it was just him exhausted from fighting for his life.
Yeah. Oh, it's really crazy. Wow. Here's what makes Twist different. It measures the volume of insulin delivered with every dose using Soundwave technology.
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Yeah. So for the first probably day because, I mean, by the by the time we got settled down in the room and were sort of left to our own devices on the first day, me and my wife had been up for thirty nine hours at that point. So Yeah. Anything that went in on that day was sort of a blur. You know?
Learning type one, and the honeymoon hope19:35
But the next day, they sort of sat down with us, explained to us what type one is, you know, what the treatment is. And at first, I was sort of like, oh, could there be something that, you know, makes it look like it's diabetes but isn't? Because I was thinking I don't want my son to have this lifelong illness.
Sure.
They're like, no. It's diabetes. I was like, okay.
You sure you sure it's not just a cold and it's gonna go up? Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Are you sure? Could be, you know, he stubbed his toe or something.
I don't know if you've ever heard me say you've you've been in this a little bit of time. You probably haven't heard this, but I think Arden had type one for I don't know how long, honestly. I didn't know much about it back then when she was first diagnosed. Right? But she clearly had these couple of days where her honeymoon was so significant that she almost didn't need any insulin at all.
Wow. And after maybe the second day of it, I called off my friend who's also my kid's where was my kid's pediatrician? They're older now. They don't have a pediatrician anymore. And I I prefaced the conversation by saying, I know I'm crazy.
Just tell me to shut up and get off the phone, but is it possible Arden doesn't have diabetes that you got like, somebody got this wrong because I haven't had to give her insulin for a couple days. And he was like, yeah. No, man. Like, she's she's got type one. Like, try to let that go if you can.
I was like, alright. I didn't understand. Actually, back then, nobody said honeymoon or I think that wasn't a thing anybody actually ever said to me. So, anyway, it was just these magical couple of days where she didn't need insulin, and and immediately your brain goes right to where yours was. Like, maybe it's something else.
You know?
Yeah. Yeah. It sucks. Absolutely.
Yeah. Well
It's all the glimmer of hope in there.
Yeah. Yeah. The tiniest bit of you just think, like, oh, maybe, you know, maybe. You were talking about the exhaustion, and not being able to remember anything from it. That hit me while you were telling the story.
I'm like, I I I wanted to ask you. I didn't wanna break up the story, I was like, how what's the flight like from Cape Verde back to UK? Like, how long had you been traveling?
So we got up the the day we were left to fly, we woke up at six because we had to get everything packed and out of the hotel by, like, 11:12, I think it was. Mhmm. And then it was sort of three hours to the airport there, eight hour flight, three hours drive back. So we've been traveling for, you know, over half a day.
And not only that, but the the evening before, you weren't really sleeping. You were staring at the baby. Right?
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Every sort of twenty minutes, I was waking up holding his chest, seeing if he was still breathing.
Yeah. Isn't it isn't it really magical kinda what your body can do? Like, in any other situation, if I told you to stay up that long, you'd fall asleep. You you know what I mean? Like, you wouldn't be able to do it, suddenly it's for that kid, and you're like, well, it's no problem.
It's it's magical. You're also making me think of you you know, I had I had a gentleman on maybe six months ago whose child was in a very similar situation and passed away. They didn't get to the they didn't get to the medical care. And, well, they did, but the medical care kinda didn't didn't help them correctly. And it just it's it's like, I'm so happy that's not your situation, but at the same time, like, I don't even know if do you know how close you were to that going the wrong way?
Dancing with the devil22:49
Have they ever talked to you about it?
Yeah. Not really. I mean, only from the reaction in the ICU, you know, how quick they they were because it was early in the morning, you know, they were calling in the diabetes specialists and, you know, ICU specialists to come see us and prep an ambulances for us and stuff. So at that point, I think it was quite close. Yeah.
I wonder, you know, if what if it was one more day on holiday sort of thing.
Oh, for sure. I mean I mean, I I don't wanna talk about it like that, but I I think from your description of the Kussmaul respirations with the breathing, you know, the skin color changing, listlessness, then the the noises he was making. I mean, I mean, I'm so happy for you and him and your wife, but, man, you guys were you were you were dancing with the devil. I don't even think you knew it. You you know?
Yeah. So oh my gosh.
All the time.
Yeah. Yeah. So tell me what happens then. I mean, this is a very short period. Like, you don't know you still don't know about diabetes.
You're only, like, a few months you're still a few months into it. Right? But, like
Oh, yeah.
Where's the learning begin? Like, what's the first thing someone tells you? Why do you know who I am three months later?
Yeah. So the the first day after everything happened, the next day, we were having visits from their diabetes team explaining to us, you know, we'd see the diabetes specialist. We'd see the nutritionist. We'd see the the head of the diabetes I don't remember what it's called, but, like they've got a whole team there in the hospital for the diabetes. Yeah.
The NHS, Dexcom, and the old-school way24:19
And so the doctors would visit us as well, and each one would explain a little bit at a different part of the day. And so as the day went on, they explained to us what they're doing because I think he was he was still getting insulin through an IV or the cannula before maybe for another day or so until his levels even though. I can't remember exactly, but we didn't start doing the pens until a couple of days in, I think.
Okay.
And they they started helping getting us to count our carbs, sort of, you know, quizzing us on it, seeing how we do, checking our notes, showing us how to do it and all that
Mhmm.
With the finger pricks and everything. And by so we were in the hospital for seven days, I think, six or seven days. And on the very last day is when they give us the sensor, the glucose
the glucose? Dexcom Libre?
We've got a Dexcom six.
Okay.
I think they wanted to give us a seven, but at the time, there wasn't a pump that was for his age that worked with the Dexcom seven.
Okay.
Or as how it's explained to us anyway.
Well, they so they gave him a pump too?
No. So that they wanted us to have a few months at home doing it the old school way, you know, with a pen and that. Uh-huh. I suppose not the old school way, but the old school way from before a pump. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. So they wanted us to really be sure if you know, in case the pump ever went wrong or for whatever reason we we couldn't use the pump, they wanted us to be able to have something to fall back on.
Mhmm.
Which I think is why they left the sensor until the last day. They wanted to make sure that we were confident on
our own. With the testing, with the, like, finger sticks and everything.
Yeah. Exactly. Yeah.
How does he how does he deal with that?
He's really good with those, actually. So the the pens, he doesn't even bat an eyelid with so much. So we give him one to play with every now and then without a needle, and he'll even lift his top up and pretend to put it in his belly. Mhmm. So that he's fine with.
And the finger pricks, he he really is fine with that as well. We call it an ouchie, but he just does a pretend ouchie. He like, oh, like, as a joke sort of thing. So he's really good with that.
But how we do is he again?
So he's nearly 20. So he's about a year and a half, basically.
He's got a whole personality.
Yeah. Yeah. He he really does. He's such a little unique boy That's awesome. In the best way.
Tom, that's wonderful. Yeah. I'm sorry. But but so they you you so you're doing pens right now with the CGM?
No. So we've literally just in the last couple weeks got Yipsa pump, I think it's called.
YipsaMed?
YipsaMed. Is that
how it is? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I know that.
Okay.
Because I think, again, like they they mentioned to me before, it's the only one for under two years that they recommend
Okay.
At least with our health system. You know, that's what they say.
How is that paid for? Is that like, do you guys have private insurance, or does the the government pay
for it? Yeah. This is all on the NHS, the National Health Service. Mhmm. So from the start, we haven't paid a penny, basically.
Wow.
All of our prescriptions are free. And because it's a lifelong condition, he gets them free for life. We have they constantly you know, he's got access to the children's ward at the hospital till he's 18. He he gets regular calls from the diabetes teams, dietitians, and stuff like that. Mhmm.
In fact, just before I come on with you, we are having an online call with his diabetes doctor talking about the pump and, you know, changes to make in that.
Very nice. Do have they offered you the DAPHNE program?
No. I haven't even heard of that.
That so look into that if you care, but it's a it's an educational program about managing type one diabetes that's, unique to The UK, and people really love it. Okay. So if it's if you think if you feel like you need more, that's a good place to look.
Cool.
Yeah. Yeah. So they're making changes to settings. So, I mean, how much insulin is he possibly getting? How much does he weigh?
He weighs twelve kilos now.
Well, that's how many wait. Hold on. I'm not gonna figure that out on my own. Is that twenty four pounds?
It's twenty six pounds.
Twenty six. Okay.
I I made a little conversion chart on Excel this morning because I thought this might come in handy.
Thank you.
But when I well, yeah, because when I first started listening to your podcast that you're like saying your guests were saying my kid was, you know, his blood glucose level was 300. And I'm like, Jesus. That's huge. You know? That's crazy.
But then I was like, oh, okay. Yeah. You guys use a different unit to us. Yeah. I should have guessed.
But
No. But, I mean, it it really does outline all the things that are new and that you're gonna learn over the next year or so. Just every day might be a new experience, you know. Yeah. Who's who's in charge?
Like, is like, what's your division of labor setup like on the diabetes? Are you guys splitting it? Is it more you, more your wife? Like, how are you handling all that?
So I would say I'm probably the most hands on with it in charge of the overall, you know, diabetes care. But my wife's my wife doesn't work two days a week, so she has him two days a week, and she's really good at looking after him. But stuff like when we change his sensor or when we change his cannula for his pump, she's still a bit wary about that. So she's done it a few times, but not as you know, I do it most of the time. You said something?
It depends on that.
Yeah. Yeah. So who it falls to is okay. You you both are pretty comfortable with it right now. Yeah.
And you mentioned earlier about her not handling, like, big issues. Well, is she anxious?
Yes. Yeah. She is anxious.
Okay. Interesting. So, is that rearing its head for her? Is she able to overcome that for this problem, or how is she doing?
Yeah. I think so. She she did go to her doctors about it, which is getting a bit creaky. She she has gone to the doctors about it, so she's getting treatment for it. But before that as well, she she does handle it really well.
It's sort of once she's done it a bit, she's sort of overcome it, if that makes sense. Sure.
Yeah. No. I mean
Even with her jobs and stuff, she she went into a supervisor role with us, and at first, she was really worried about it, but now it's, like, one of the most profitable bits in the company. So
Oh, so she worries upfront then figures it out and then kinda lets it go after that?
Yeah. Exactly.
And finds a different thing to worry about.
Exactly. Yeah. The same with when she she was learning to drive, she was like, I'm never gonna do it. Then she passed with no minors or anything, you know Mhmm. Flying colors.
It's like
That's the difference between men and women, by the way. We blindly just believe in ourselves, and they doubt themselves even when they don't have to.
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Blindly to a fault.
Oh, absolutely. Ask me how perfect I am. I'd be happy to tell you about it, Tom. Well, that's nice that she went to do something for herself. Was that precipitated by the diagnosis of your son?
Did she feel like I need to work on this now?
I think she's dabbled with it in the past as well, but never really found anything that's worked with her. Okay. But this time, I think she was just she she never gave it a proper try, but I think this time, she's like, I'm doing it for Kylo. So
It's wait till you see how that happens. That that's a very common I I guess, a very common story for people. They they will, they will put off helping themselves over and over again. But if you give them the opportunity to help themselves so that it'll help a loved one, they don't seem to have any trouble with it. It's really Yeah.
Really very interesting. Your wife doesn't have anything else though. You mentioned thyroid. Is the thyroid on her side of the family?
Yeah. Thyroid's on her side.
Has she had her tested ever?
No. I don't think she has, actually.
Do you think she has any symptoms of it?
To be honest with you, I don't know what the symptoms are.
A thyroid checklist for Mum32:46
Hair falling out, dry nails, anxiety, trouble being rested even though you've slept. That's a big one. Is she tired all the time?
Yeah. I think she can be. Yeah. Yeah. A few of those sounded like some boxes to tick.
It it work it's worth looking into. Yeah. Yeah. Because maybe because you will see sometimes you will see people get put on, like, like, anxiety medications or SSRIs or something like that for, like, depression or, like, low mood or something. But those are it can be can be side effects of of a thyroid issue.
And if she's got it in the family and your son has type one, it's probably worth looking into.
Yeah. I'll I'll get her to do that.
Thank you. Yeah. Put her on, episode four thirteen of the podcast. If she's interested, it'll explain kinda how to, how to look, you know, the all about it actually. Even so much as saying if I have symptoms, but my labs don't come back as out of whack, it that doesn't always mean something.
So there's a a certain test to look at to see if maybe the medication would be helpful anyway. It's just one little pill a day.
Yeah. Perfect. Okay. I've written that down.
Good. Good.
Good.
Yeah. Episode four thirteen will explain the whole thing. Yeah. Okay. Well, I just wanted to get that out of the way because you mentioned that you mentioned her being anxious earlier, and then, you know, that's it.
I have a list here for you real quick. It's fatigue, low energy, feeling sluggish, weight gain or difficulty losing weight, feeling cold more easily than others, constipation, dry skin, thinning hair or hair loss, puffy face, hoarse voice, muscle aches, weakness, cramps, or joint pain, slow heart rate, depression, low mood, brain fog, memory problems, trouble concentrating, heavy or irregular periods, low libido, elevated cholesterol, swelling in the hands, feet, around the eyes, brittle nails, slow reflexes. That's, you know, some stuff to look for. You don't have to have all of it.
No. That a lot of those ticked.
Oh, oh, look at me. Look at me saving a life. Here I go, Tom. Alright. Sorry.
I just I know I imagine that people have been listening for a long time or like, oh, Scott's being sarcastic. And people who who picked this episode up as the first one is like, the the host seems like a prick.
I'm sure they don't think that.
Well, some of them do. You should see the reviews. Now, anemia, is also something to look for. So if she's getting a full thyroid panel, she might ask them for a full iron panel at the same time.
Cool.
Okay?
I'll will will send that her way.
There you go. Then the next gig gets named after me.
Yeah. Yeah.
Although you guys are gonna need a good solid five years before you try that, I bet.
I think I think we're done.
Sounds like looks like I felt like I got hit by a truck. I'm I'm good, man.
It was funny because we were like, I'm a nun. We're like, maybe if, you know, in a few years, we're financially in a good spot, we'll try for another. And then this happened. It's like, now we're done.
We're good. That's pretty good. Well, listen. No no lie. We we really thought we were gonna have three kids, and our second got diabetes.
And we're like, maybe we should stop because it just I mean, it was it felt overwhelming. You know?
Yeah. I mean, I've listened to a few episodes of podcast now as well, and it sounds like when one kid's got diabetes and one hasn't even if it's not true, lot of the times the kids feel like there's preferential treatment. So
Oh, that was gonna happen whether one of them had diabetes or not.
Yeah. I bet.
They're gonna be like, he likes her better than me. Wait. What? No. I don't.
Yes. You do. And then you and then you think, okay. Well, obviously, I'm being nicer to that one than the other one. You go to the other one, you say, hey.
And they're like, oh, no. You definitely like her better than me. And I'm like, oh my god. Awesome. Glad we did this.
Yeah. Right.
No kidding. So, I mean, I don't know. I I guess I'd just be interested in hearing anything, like, you have to say because it's also raw for you. Like, what do you feel like is worth sharing with people right now?
The children’s ward: balls, bubbles, and blankets36:47
Well, a few things, really. A big one for me was sort of how well Kylo was treated in the hospital with their staff on the children's ward.
Mhmm.
From so for the first, I think, three or four days we were in there, it was one on one care with just one nurse. She wasn't seeing any other patients other than Kylo, or Kylo wasn't seeing any other nurses other than this one nurse. So they could really sort of focus on him and make sure he's getting the best treatment possible. Even from the first day he was in the room, they have some entertainers on the ward, full time entertainers that they have a play area there, and they brought him a blanket that was knitted by someone that donates blankets to the hospital that he gets to keep. He got a little stuffed bear someone made that he gets to keep, and they sort of was were asking us, you know, what's he into?
And we said stuff like he likes, you know he sounds like he's a dog, but he likes balls and bubbles and lights. And so they come back a little while later with a load of balls and bubbles and a disco light.
You know what he loves? If you throw a ball, he loves to run and get it and bring it back. He loves that. They give him a treat. It's fantastic.
Yeah. Exactly. Balls and bubbles. No. Listen.
I like those things. Actually, I was walking out of somewhere a few weeks ago. It's this windy day, and it was a it was a scenario. Listen. I'm just gonna tell you.
I was at a reptile convention. I don't need to be judged, but I I was at that. Right? And I was walking out, and this little girl had a bubble wand. And she dipped it in a thing and just walked out ahead of people, and it was so windy that the parking lot just filled with bubbles.
And I have to tell you Oh, wow. It was really lovely. It made me feel like, well, this should happen more often. You know? So I don't know.
We should, bubbles and balls is a good idea, maybe. So they bring him all that stuff, then Benny Hill runs through. They're really trying to entertain them. Right?
Yeah. Exactly. Well, that yeah. That's another thing that, you know, each day they'd have someone visit the hospital. So one day, there was a a sort of someone bringing a dog around that goes to see all the children.
Another time, there was a lady with a guitar that, you know, plays music through and stuff like that. So it was full on trying to keep him as happy as possible.
Yeah. That's very nice. Well, they want him to have a good experience at the hospital. Right? Because you might have to come back one day, it'd be nice if he had a good feeling about it.
Yeah.
For sure.
So what do you I mean, how much insulin does he use in the course of a day?
I think at the minute, it's about nine units of insulin.
Okay. How much of it's basal? Do you know?
Do you know what? I didn't write that down.
Do you shoot the basil once a day?
When we were on the pens, we did it twice a day.
Okay.
We did, I think, one and a half units at night and one and a half units in the morning.
Was that Levemir?
It was Levemir. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So you that's a it's smart for a little kid like that. So they split the basal when you were injecting one and a half, one and a half, and then, obviously, gets food with meals.
And, like, what's a what's an average, like, size meal carbs and insulin for him?
Yeah. So this was the tricky thing because sort of his bedtime milk was bedtime milk was perfect because it was half a unit of insulin. Mhmm. So that worked out great. But whenever we were giving him sort of dinners and stuff like that, he'd it'd be, like, one point one units or one point four units of insulin.
Then you have to decide, is he gonna eat more? Is he gonna you know, when you don't even know he's gonna eat that to begin with, or do you eat under bolus and then try and figure out afterwards? So, yeah, when it was on the pens on that half unit increments for for a kid that small, it was just impossible.
Still a lot. Yeah. A half unit's still a lot. Hey. You just said that's the tricky part.
Let me let me I don't wanna break your bubble here, but, like, you're gonna say that about 8,000 more times in the next ten or fifteen years. Yeah. I'm sure. Yeah. The tricky part is gonna keep changing.
Wait. It looks like he won't pre bowl. He's 15. He won't honey, he won't pre bowl us his meals. You'll be like, oh, no.
That's the tricky part. Then it'll be the next thing and the next thing and the next thing.
Keep moving the goalposts.
Yeah. But you're paying attention really well already, like, little things. Like, you seem on top of it. What do you do for a living?
I'm a manager at electronics factory.
K. So production, people, like, overseeing things, paying attention to details?
Yeah. I mean, it's only a small company. There's only about 15 of us there total, but, yeah, trying to keep everything running, keep on top of things.
Yeah. You feel like you're doing that with the diabetes too, I imagine.
Yeah. I think I've got quite a scientific mind and quite at school, it was more the sciences than the arts for me. Mhmm. So I I've got that kind of thinking where I I figured find problems and solve them, basically.
Yeah. Well, that'll help you with this. Is it making you crazy, or are you doing a good job of stepping back from it at times?
Exhaustion, sleep, and the parents’ toll42:06
I think there's been stages. So when we first went home, I was probably I don't sleep well anyway. I probably sleep about five hours a night interrupted. But when we first got home, it was, like, every half an hour, was awake just checking his levels, seeing if he's alright.
No, man. I know.
But but that that sort of wavered. Now when we've got the pump, it's back to that at the minute. Just just so I know that it's alright, and then I can leave it again. Mhmm.
Yeah. So, I mean, you have it on your phone as well. Right?
Yes.
Yeah. So you don't have to go to where he is. But No. Are is he having many lows overnight?
It's been mixed at the minute. So the diabetes team, when we first got discharged, they'd call us every day to sort of tweak levels and that. Then they went to twice a week, then they went to once a week where they'd call us and help us tweak some levels where we thought it was necessary and checking with us. But, yeah, he he he was going low in the night quite a bit, and I think that's when they'd switched his basal to twice a day instead of once.
Were can I ask you before you split the before you split the Levemir, were you shooting it at night?
Yes.
Yeah. Night. And then it was too heavy, and he was getting low overnight.
Yeah. Exactly.
Okay. Okay. Well, that's good. By the way, that's well done. Levemir is an older insulin, but it's perfect for something like that.
Yeah.
It's funny actually because we're just about to swap over to Lantus, is it? Lantus? Lantus.
When they put you on the pump instead.
So just as a backup because I think they're stopping making Levemir or stopping it in this country at least.
They are. By the way, if you wanna hear a lady who is in Washington DC trying to fight against it, she's been on the podcast a couple of times. Oh, really? Yeah. She's trying to figure out a way for them to keep making Levemir.
I don't know if that'll work. That's it sounds like a big fight to me, but it's interesting that she's trying for it so much. What are you finding community online, or where are you finding people to talk about all this?
I sort of talked to, like, my friends and work friends and that in passing about it a little bit. But other than that, I just really listened to your podcast, to be fair. Oh. But I think my wife's on some Facebook groups, and, actually, we we got really I don't know if you'd call it lucky or irony or something, but my wife's auntie is a pediatric nurse who specializes in diabetes.
Oh my god. Okay.
So so she was actually when when we got diagnosed, she came to the hospital and stayed with us for a while to help us with it as well.
Oh,
nice. But, yeah, it's a sort of a a lucky but unlucky thing that we've got someone really close to us that, you know, helps us with that.
Do you know how she got into that line of work?
I don't actually. I've never really asked her. Yeah. But yeah. Not because of diabetes in the family.
No. No. No. That's what I'm saying. Yeah.
It's not in the family, but she ended up there. So that's interesting. Yeah. Sorry. I cut you off.
I apologize. What were you gonna say?
Oh, goodness. I can't remember really.
Sounds like that's over. That part is gone. I don't know what you're saying. Hey, Will.
I mean It it the community's one that yeah. So I I think my wife sort of dabbles in it a bit, but at the minute, we haven't really seeked out any communities nearby. We're just sort of getting getting to grips with it ourselves. And then I'm sure probably we'll try and, you know, see some more people with it. But to be honest, listening to the podcast for me is just it's interesting to hear other people's stories.
That enough for me is a bit of comfort that it's not so bad, and it's not, you know, just you that's going through this, if that makes sense.
No. No. No. It it it more than makes sense. I'm glad that you found it and that it's been helpful for you.
I think that some of the unsung support systems of having chronic illness in or having one in your family, community is a big part of it. It it really is to that feeling of, like, it's not just me is very helpful. Yeah. You know? And especially in a situation like you've been at this, what, like, three or four months Yeah.
It probably feels like a lifetime. And I'm sitting here fully remembering the first few months of my daughter's diagnosis, and she was two, and she's gonna be 22 in, like, a couple of months.
That's crazy. Yeah.
No. It really is. I used to be young. I I I for sure I for sure was, you know. It's it's a long process, and it will change over and over again.
I think, you know, again, another another tool that'll come in really handy that's very in specific is just trying to be flexible and, you know, keeping up with, yes, day to day, but understanding that things come and go and they change. You have to be able to let go of them or not take things quite so seriously at certain times. I think that's why some of these conversations are probably helpful to you because they're lighthearted. You know, we're talking about something really devastating. And, I mean, listen.
I don't even think we've ever just said it out loud yet, but, like, your son just about died. That's Yeah. That's something, man. That's a hard pill to swallow, and that's gonna come back at you a couple of times. Like, you know what mean?
Like, yeah. The fragility of life is is like, once you get through this part here, you are probably gonna have a moment where you reflect on this, you know. And it it it'll be hard to deal with.
Few times, to be fair already. Every now and then, I'm just like, you know, the the severity of the situation weighs down on me, and I'm just like, oh my goodness. Yeah. It's funny, actually. I was I wrote up some notes for doing this podcast just so that I had everything to hand so I wouldn't forget anything.
And my wife came upstairs. I was typing this. She came up, and I just my face was wet with tears. And I was just like, oh, yeah. No.
This is a sad thing. This is tough. Yeah.
Yeah. You're you're acting like, oh, I'm just gonna give you a high level overview of what's happened to us over the last few months. But it's a it's a devastating, I mean, event. It it just is. Yeah.
You know? And Yeah. And so then that mental health side of it becomes really important too because you you hear people in all, you know, in all forms and factors of of being involved in diabetes, and sometimes they're fighting with their spouses, and sometimes they their anxiety is crippling, and sometimes they're so laid back that you think, like, jeez, pay a little more attention to it. You you you know, like, there's you don't know which way you're you're gonna kinda go to. But if you have a, you know, if you have a bit of a plan and you're able to stay flexible with that plan to some degree, and and realize that things are gonna continually change and that they're really the only way to getting to, like, calm is through experiences, I think that's really important to to just to understand that, you know Definitely.
Every time something goes wrong, you know, quote, unquote, it's a great opportunity to just look back and say, okay. What happened here? Like, how can I do this differently next time so that we have a better outcome? And those experiences end up being what teaches you. Like, you need the basic tools.
And if you go through, I mean, if I was you, if you haven't, I'd listen to the bold beginning series of the of the podcast, and it'll help you with all this. You you know? And and then one day, you'll wanna level up a little bit. You maybe you jump over, do pro tip series. But overall, like, you just have to have the experiences.
You have to pay attention to them, and then use them as data for next time.
Yeah. Yeah. Like not having another kid.
Well, it's just like it you're it's it's like learning to walk all over again. Nothing makes sense. Nobody tells you anything. I mean, even that, there's phrasing. Know, people are bolus, basil, levamir, Lantus, ipsumed.
I mean, look at all the weird words you've said in the last forty five minutes already. You know, like, words you didn't know four months ago. And Absolutely. And that's overwhelming too. You you know?
So just take your time, you know, and then I mean, my best advice might be just leave yesterday behind. I try not to carry any of the anxiety from today into the next day because it it will build up on you. And I and I and I should say this too, you gotta sleep.
Yeah. Do know? I've just never been good at sleeping, so I've I've tried to get that figured out. But last time I went for a sleep study, and they checked me for one night, and they said don't sleep on your back. And I was like, okay.
Thanks. Big help. Appreciate it. Cheers. Yeah.
Awesome. Good good use of my time. No. But, I mean, listen. Maybe you're a guy who gets five hours of sleep and you're okay.
What I'm saying is don't get exhausted.
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. And the broken sleep is hard on you. Like, you have no idea right now, but, you know, I did what you talked about, like getting up here, checking again. I did that for years. It it, like, devastated me, but I never knew I was devastated by it, like, physically.
Yeah. And Yeah. It wasn't until one night I was sitting up, like, staring at Arden's CGM or doing whatever I was doing or testing her a million times. And think my wife woke up in the middle of the night and she looked at me and I was just laying there with my eyes open. And she's like, what's wrong?
And I was like, I'm gonna have a heart attack. And she's like, what? I'm like, my heart is pounding. I'm so exhausted. Like, I'm so freaking exhausted.
She's like, go to sleep, and I was I I was like, I can't. Like, you know, like, you know, and truth is is, you know, I I could. And, you know, it's twenty years later, and she's still here and doing great. So Yeah. You know, there's gonna be moments where you're gonna have to be up in the middle of the night like anything else, but you absolutely have to find some sort of a balance.
I mean, looking for balance, between health and good outcomes and your mental health and your physical health. Like, it all has to work out. You can't give yourself away for him or give him away for you. Like, none of that's gonna work. You know?
Yeah. Absolutely.
Wow. You grew up pretty quick here. He went from, like, 30 years old, like, hey. We got married finally. You know us.
We're just busy, busy. So, like, woo.
Yeah. It was all sunshine and roses, married kids, then there you go. Curb ball.
Exactly. Yeah. You should probably have sex again in, three years. Sorry. That might be true.
I apologize. But it does bring up a a good point. It's tough with a baby, but if you can find somebody in your life, your mom, her mom, somebody, you know, that could even be caregiver for a couple of hours so you guys could go out once in a while, get away for a few minutes, that would all be a really big deal for you.
Grandma, date nights, and finding balance53:09
Oh, I do have to say that my mom has been the most amazing helper out of all of this. So before he had was diagnosed with diabetes, she'd have him two days a week. She's retired. She was in the fire service, so she got to retire at 55, which was pretty nice. She loves the kids, so she just wanted to be a help.
Me and my sister, we both got kids now, just wanted to help with you know, look after them because that's what she lives for. Since he's been diagnosed, she's still doing that. She still has him twice a week while my wife goes to work. In fact, just last weekend, she had him for the night while we got to have a little date night and fall asleep on the sofa at 09:00.
Good for you. That's awesome. Also, if my kids are listening, if you make kids, I will immediately retire and take care of your kids. So that sounds pretty great, actually. No.
Seriously, I would enjoy that. I I I mean Yeah. Yeah. I don't know how much you know about me still, but I was a stay at home dad most of my life. So Right.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I would if if anybody wants to make a baby and then just give it to me for a while, I'd be good with that.
Yeah. I I so every now and then, whatever our situation is, I have to stay at home with Kylo while my wife or someone goes to work, and they're the best days in the world when I've just got him and me doing whatever we wanna do. It's just
No other response. No no no other forget no other responsibilities. There's, of course, responsibilities, but there's no other thing that supersedes that. And so everything else sort of fades away and you just, you know, you're just there doing that thing. Yeah.
Absolutely. Yeah. He's just such a character. I look at him and go, this is perfect.
We used have this little house when Arden was little, and I can I can still see the first time like she stood up like by the television and walked across the room to me? Like I can like I can still see it in my head, you know. So Yeah. And I don't know what I did that day. Probably laundry, made food, watched her walk.
That's probably the end of it. You know? I don't yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. So don't well, listen. It it sounds like you're doing well. You don't feel overwhelmed or anything? I mean or so much you you do, but not to the point where it's knocking you over?
Yeah. I mean, I I feel like there's still some days where, you know, a lot goes on. He's high and low every other hour sort of thing. You're like, oh, this is so much work. But for the most part, he's he's so good with it.
We're getting good with it, and, you know, we're just living a happy life. And you you we just look back and go, no. It's not too bad. You know, it could have been worse. He could be in a wheelchair.
He could have some brain disease or something. As far as, you know, illnesses go, it's not it's it's pretty manageable, isn't it? So
Yeah. That's a very reasonable expectation that, you know, that it is pretty manageable. You just need to know certain things. And but but how do you get those things? Like, so what happens to some people is they don't hear that information.
It doesn't get delivered to them or something like that. And I guess that I'm gonna figure this out. Like, how did you find a podcast about diabetes? But at the same time, you have a decent microphone, and I'm now noticing in your picture that there's egg carton on your wall. So why why is your room sound
my picture.
Why is your room sound dampened?
So me and my friends like to play video games, so we just stream every now and then. Stream to no one, but I still enjoy sort of putting the videos together and, you know, making them a bit of fun. So that's it, really.
That's what it's for. Does that Yeah.
It's it's for good audio so that the three viewers that watch my videos Are
really being delivered high quality content?
Yeah. They're like, wow. This is a good good idea.
Jim, Bill, and Sammy. The Yeah. Exactly.
Well, more realistically, me, me, and me checking the quality on three different devices.
I'll tell you what. This sounds great. It looks terrific. If anybody ever decides to listen, they're gonna be thrilled with this.
That's good.
Yeah. I just built I've been making this podcast in a room for twelve years, and I just built a small studio space that I'm I'm still fitting out, and I have a lot of traveling to do over the next month for work. So I'm not gonna get to do it in June. But I'm trying to decide right now what to put on the walls for sound. If I'm just gonna do, like, you know, simple frames with with fabric over them or if I was you know, some some people are like, they do those wood slats.
They look all fancy, but I don't know who would I don't know who I'm worried about it looking good for. Yeah.
I was gonna say they do some really good looking sound dampening stuff. But, again, near an audio podcast, unless it's for you, you know, I suppose it is nice to go into a space and go, yeah. This is my space.
Yeah. I'm too old. I grew up broke. I don't care what it looks like. I just want it to work.
You you know what I mean? Like, there's part of me that would just hang curtains around the walls and just be like, here. That's fine. So
Yeah. I mean, what what you can't see in that photo, because that's quite an old photo now, but I do have one of my wife's old blankets stapled to the wall in the background. And
she's still married you. That's nice. Yeah.
But you don't need this. It's summer. I love this.
She's like, goddamn it. I waited too long. Now I'm stuck with this guy. He's just he put my blanket on the wall, but we've been together for ten years. So what am I gonna do?
You can't say no now.
I'm pod committed. Goddamn it. I didn't know this was gonna happen. No. Yes.
I'm not sure what I'm gonna do, but I'll probably just build simple frames and and hang them. I mean, the those sound diffusers working. I mean, I have them in here. I'll probably just move these downstairs and get a couple more if I'm being honest. Yeah.
I mean, I think there's a point of diminishing returns anyway where, yeah, average viewers listening sort of on loudspeaker on a phone or something. So it don't even matter.
Yeah. There's a I I I have noticed over the years that bad audio will will chase people away. And and so I wanted to be a comfortable experience. I also have an editor which, you know, who does a great job of making it sound much better, to the point where sometimes I meet people in person. They're like, you you don't sound the way I expect you to.
I'm like, yeah. Yeah. Someone's not behind me tuning my voice for you. So Yeah. But I wish
I had an editor.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You wish I had an editor.
You listen. For real life.
Yeah. For real life. And that
the amount of uhs and and forgot.
I try I think I'm I'll tell you in the beginning, I wasn't I mean, ummed all the time. I used to I tell people all the time I used to hang sticky notes in front of me with words on it with lines drawn through them. Like, don't say that. Don't I used to have connecting words and, you know, like, stuff like that. I tried to get rid of as much of it as I could.
But at the same time, I don't know. You can't not say, It it some sometimes it just happens. And some of it sounds unnatural if you take too much of it out. You know?
It's too perfect.
Yeah. Nobody speaks. Like, that'll you know, if if you edit it too well, it'll just sound like it's AI. And I have enough content now. I could probably train an AI to make these episodes, so don't give me any ideas.
You know what I mean?
You could retire.
Scott's been doing this for twenty years. I'm like, no. I just
Yeah. Is this AI? How can I check?
Yeah. You can't. Leave me alone. But I am real. You should trust me right now.
Okay. But, you know, sometimes people are like, oh, it would be great if you did video. And I'm like, with who? Like, what am I gonna do, Tom? Like, you know, make you set up video and then you capture your video and I can't who's gonna edit that?
Like, who's gonna like, that's I I love it when people say that. Like, it's easy. You know what I mean?
Yeah. Add so many dimensions to it, doesn't it?
Yeah. And for I don't know where the return is for that, to be honest with you.
No. I mean, from my videos, had we played video games, I have a web webcam. I'm like, this just isn't fun entertainment. I'm just staring at a screen.
Yeah. There's one guy that made money doing that, and he's still the one doing it. Like, if it you and you probably know who I'm talking about. Like, the guy that plays Call of Duty, he's got the dark hair, and he's got, like, the whole thing. He's made, like, a life out of it.
Probably a millionaire, like, 10 times over the
but, yeah, Nick Merx comes to mind.
Yeah. Him. That's who I'm thinking of. Yeah. So my point is is he's doing it already.
He we don't need you. It's it's and I feel that way about a lot of content sometimes. I mean, right now, you know, if you want, you can go hear the same political commentary from a thousand people. Yeah. Yeah.
Like, at what point do you say to yourself, someone's got this covered? I'm I'm probably Exactly. I don't probably need to start up, but, you know, the this whole thing. Now somebody says
There's so many fingers in the pies anyway. To get noticed when there's already a million semi famous people doing it is basically impossible nowadays.
Oh, listen. I between you, me, and everybody listening, I make an incredibly popular podcast. If I stopped right now and tried to make a different one to start over, I'm sure no one would listen to it.
Yeah. It's tough, ain't it?
There's just no way to, like, to get recognized or or to get to enough eyes to, like, create some momentum. I had, when I started doing this, I'm I'm pretty certain I'm was probably the first one to start doing it. So I was ahead already. It was the only thing out there, and I had a really popular successful blog that I could pimp the out of the of the podcast on in the beginning, you know, say to people, look, have a podcast. Have a podcast.
Plus back then, social media was actually like, those platforms actually helped you reach people, which that's not even their goal anymore. So Yeah. Yeah. They're they're not trying to help you reach somebody. They're trying to they're trying to get you to desperately try to create create an audience so they can sell that audience ads.
Absolutely.
It's a different it's just a completely different animal. If I restarted right now, I don't think 10 people would listen.
Yeah. I think I just need a scandal. That normally gets you big.
What kind of scandal are you looking for?
Well, any right now.
Like I just
Made me famous. I gotta
pop this thing up. I don't know, man. It's I I'm listen. I'm famous in a space, but outside of that, that no one has any idea who I am. And that's pretty nice actually.
Like, I can't imagine what it would be like to walk around all day long with people knowing who you are. It seems exhausting to me. Yeah. It really does. I I do it for days at a time at like events and stuff like that.
And there's this thing that happens. Like, you walk out of your room the first time and you're gonna go down to a convention floor or to a speaking engagement or something, and there's a voice in your head that that literally goes, smile. Like, even when you're walking by yourself, smile because you you you come to realize, like, someone's looking at you. And Yeah. You know, it's it's I I've I've had experiences where I've been standing in public and thought, man, my butt itches, but there's really nothing I can do about it right now.
And and you you think you're making it up, but then my wife went with me for the first time last summer to something. And we were walking around for, I don't know, half a day, and she just looked at me and she goes, everyone here knows who you are. She's like, it's ridiculous. Like, everyone's, like, either looking at you as they pass you or, like, looking back over their shoulder as you're going by. And I think she thought I was making it up.
You know what I mean? Because for all those years. And I said, no. I told you. Like, this is it's she's like, this is insane.
I was like, no. I know. Yeah. Yeah. And then I walk outside and it's over.
It's perfect. You you know what I mean?
That's how you wanna end it.
100%. Because I'm also not wealthy. And there's that old saying of being famous without being wealthy is like torture. Like, there's some sort of because you because you can't get away.
Yeah. Yeah.
I can just get away. I can just leave a diabetes thing and then nobody knows who I am, which is perfect.
Don't have to wear masks at the shops or anything.
Wouldn't that be something? I just saw a ton of pictures of, apparently, Michael Jackson used to go out in all these weird disguises, and there and I saw, like, a thousand pictures of him in all these different weird disguises. It's pretty funny.
Yeah. I think he actually got a shop built and paid actors to be normal people in the shop and not interact with him just so that he could feel what it's like to go shopping.
Did he really?
Yeah. Something like that.
Well, that's insane.
Might have to fact check me. No.
No. That's another level of, like, reason why I I don't think any of us wanna be famous. Right. But, no, it is really interesting, isn't it? That, you know, so many people have access to the possibility, and so they try all the time.
Like, I I I comment all the time that most of the people on Facebook or Instagram or whatever, in their bio, it says digital creator.
Yeah.
And I'm like and and you yeah. I used to go look, you know, and, like, there's three people. I'm like, you're not a you're not what? You you know, like like, it would be like if we all just decided we were attorneys, and everyone's bio just said attorney at law. And then I said, I know, have you practiced ever?
No. But I'm I'm thinking of it. I'm like, oh, okay. So Yeah. What is I don't know what those people are gonna do when that dream dies.
Is that really a thing people think about? Like
It's got got me on it.
Yeah. It's it's it's interesting because I didn't do this on purpose, so that's why it's confusing to me.
I think that's where where it probably you know, I think if people try too hard at stuff, unless you really, really want it, some people make it and think this is gonna be big. But most of the time, it's gonna pull the node. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly.
Yeah. Yeah. No. I didn't I didn't do any of this on purpose. Like, I just I think I just I think by virtue of maybe sharing my story of being open and vulnerable, you know, there being a pathway that started with me not knowing what I was doing to getting to having some decent idea of what was going on and the fact that I am very unapologetically just myself.
So, you know, like, I'm not trying to I must come off I don't know, but I must come off authentically to people because I know I am not censoring myself.
Yeah. Yeah. And that's the way it should be.
Yeah. Somebody was mad at me the other day because I said something, and I was like, I don't even know what you're talking about. Like, I and and I'm not gonna go look in case you're wondering. Yeah.
I don't care.
Yeah. I I I spoke I speak for an hour every day, and at the end of it, I never think, like, oh, I should cut that part out. And if I've ever had that thought, then I go, okay. Well, I'm not gonna cut that part out, but I'll be you know, I won't say something like that again. Yeah.
Yeah. It just I think it's just the only way to do this at this point. Well, especially with so many people doing the same thing and and, you know, a lot of them wanted to use, like, those big, like, television announcer voices when they're talking, and some people sound like they're doing the local news, you know, when they're making their podcasts and
Yeah. Or reading off tele prompters and stuff.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You can you can see them doing it too because everybody makes video now. I'm like, you're reading this.
Like Yeah. Why don't I get an audio book? I don't need you. Yeah. Yeah.
Right. Either talk and say what you think or not. And, you know, it's funny because, you know, you and I could have this conversation tomorrow for the first time instead of today, and I'd probably say different stuff to you. Yeah. You know?
So, I don't know. I think that's really interesting and and invaluable. So tell me, like, what do you think is coming? Have you have you tried to imagine ahead three more months, a year? Like, what what do you what are your expectations?
So at the minute, I think we're still in a bit of a bubble because he's so young. We've, you know, we've got three, four years. I don't know. Yeah. Two to two odd years until he starts, you know, nursery and stuff properly.
We were gonna get him in nursery sooner, but now we're not so sure. We think we might just look after him for a bit. But at the minute, we're in this sort of bubble where we're in control of everything. But the more I listen to your podcast and the horror stories of schools and stuff like that, I'm like, oh, well, that's around the corner. You know?
Soon, we're gonna have to start thinking about neither of us being there with him and relying on strangers and that.
Yeah.
So I think at the minute, we're coasting, but as soon as that comes, we're gonna be it's it'll be the next thing.
Yeah. No. You're exactly. It'll be the next it'll be the next thing and the next thing. Does the Ipsumed pump have an algorithm, or is it just a manual pump?
No. It does have an algorithm. I checked with the doctor today, actually, because I was wondering because it it was doing things that I was unsure about. You know, there was stuff there's times where he was going high and it wasn't giving any insulin and stuff, and
I was
like, that seems weird. But it always works out. And as the days have been going on with no changes, it's getting more and more in range.
Okay. Good.
But yeah. So it's definitely learning. And, obviously, like I say, it's hard with a kid that young. We you know, for one, we're still trying new food to them, and we don't know if he'll eat any of it. And sometimes his favorite meal, he'll be like, I don't want it.
Yeah. Yeah. It's the fun part. I would
I'd say it is.
Yeah. That's why a lot of people with young kids, when they pre bolus, they pre bolus, like, a tiny amount. And, you know, just enough to, like like usually, the way I say it is there must be an amount of carbs that you know for sure he's gonna eat. Like, at least pre bolus for that amount. And then once you see him eating and he's okay and it's happening, then you can put the rest in as fast as you can.
But, you know, just to stay ahead of it a little bit. But No. I know. I know what you mean. Like, you make something for a kid, they're like, yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then you put it in front of them, like, no. And then that's you know, like, then you have that fear of, like, oh, the insulin's in.
Like, what do I do? But Yeah.
Pre-bolusing a toddler, and coming back in a year1:10:41
And and for a while, our diabetes team was saying first, they wanted to pre pre bolus everything, obviously, but then they were saying because we were struggling, we were pre bolus, and then he wasn't eating. And then you're trying desperately to get someone in him before he starts going low. Mhmm. They they said to us, for stuff you know, he'll have, like, his milk and that prebolised. But if it's a new meal or if it's a meal, he might take, you know, half an hour to eat playing with it, then just bolus as soon as you give him the food.
And that definitely worked while we were sort of trying to get more foods that we know that he'll eat. Mhmm. Like peanut butter on toast, that's a guaranteed He'll polish that off now. So that's a good one to have for breakfast. Awesome.
Yeah.
Yeah. That's see, that's a great way to just do this. Just common sense, pay attention, learn from, you know, the past, and and apply it to the future and and move forward. I'll I'll tell you seriously. I'll say it again.
The bold beginning series in the podcast, that'll help you. If you listen to that, it'll it'll help you, like, bring your ideas, like, you know, full circle and and give you some good starting points. Man, wow. Jeez. You're right at the beginning of this.
You're making me feel old, Tom.
Is there some flashbacks?
Yeah. No. You're making me feel old. It's it's not pleasant. So
I'm sure you're not old.
Trust me. I'm old. You don't say it on the podcast because it turns people off, but I'm gonna be 50 I'm gonna be 55 this summer.
So That's that's not old by today's standards.
Well, I got the GLP now. I can live forever. There you go. Yeah. Yeah.
It's all gonna be fine. What do you so you've it's so interesting to talk to you because you really don't even know what to imagine yet.
No. I suppose it's still so fresh, and I wondered about even saying, should I, you know, share my story this early on because I don't really know anything in the grand scheme of things. But I I sort of just wanted to come on to talk about it. So I heard some of your other guests talk, I was like, I think this would be a valuable bit of entertainment for some people. Well, not even entertainment.
You know? Just
It's interest.
Something good to hear.
Yeah. No. I I agree with you. Also, it it gives us an opportunity because I'm not planning on not, you know, stopping doing this anytime soon. Like, it's a good opportunity to say to you right now, like, go pick a go take that link I gave you and go a year ahead on the calendar and drop yourself on the schedule again because it it would be interest yeah.
It would be interesting to hear you, like, walk through this. Yeah. You know what I mean?
Absolutely.
Yeah. Yeah. And if my calendar doesn't go ahead that far, just reach back out and, you know, at the end of the year, and I'll be able to it'll open up for the following year. I'll give it to you then. But, yeah, you should yeah.
Come back in a year. I'd like to hear what what you figured out, what's changed, and just do a check-in with you. And maybe we'll maybe you and I'll do that, till the end. We'll get you that way you can start streaming.
This is such a weird reference, but have you seen on YouTube? I think it's for variety or something. Billie Eilish does the same interview with the same questions every year.
I don't know that, but that's a great idea.
It'll be a bit like that.
Yeah. Yeah. No. That's a
Every year, we'll check on Kylo, how he's been.
Yeah. No. It's a it's a great idea. When does he how old when he turns into Darth Vader, when does that happen?
Well, you know what's so funny is his initials spelled k l l, which is almost the word kill, and Kylo kills his dad, spoilers, in Star Wars. So that was already a worry. But then when my wife let me pick his middle name, I picked Loki because I thought that was a really cool name.
Okay.
And in the Marvel films, Loki gets his mom killed. So I screwed us.
You just think, yeah, eventually, he'll just be in the house by himself and you guys will be gone.
Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. It'll have taken us both out.
Just be riding the dog. Yeah. Oh, by the way, you don't have a dog, do you?
Oh, I wish.
Oh, don't get a dog. Tom. Tom, you don't you don't have the time for that. I I know you think you do, but you don't. Trust me.
No. Do know that that was one thing because we work long hours. We only do four days a week, but we work long hours to make up for it. And I couldn't imagine leaving a dog home for twelve hours a day on its own. It's just not fair to the dog, is it?
We're going to a friend's graduation tomorrow. And last night, I looked at everybody. I went, what what are we doing with the dogs? Like, I was like, wait. Did anybody think about this?
And, yeah, it's it's just it's too much. They're too much. I love my dog. I use awesome. And even the other one's not bad.
But, man, like, being responsible for things is it's tough. And when they're little, it's fine. Like, you just leave them home. They're fine. Like, you know what I mean?
You come back a couple hours later. It's okay. But Yeah. I you know, I've had to leave picnics to go home to, take my dog out. Like, everybody's, like, having fun on the July 4, and you're like, oh, probably that's not a big holiday for you guys.
But but then yeah. Then, you know, like, oh, you drive home, get the dog, take him out. You're like, oh, this is not it doesn't make up for it. I don't know. Maybe.
No. I think it's more of like in your head, it's a nice idea to have a dog because you see it on the movies with, you know, people having a dog that is really smart and that or really fun. Mhmm. And then you just get a dog and it's just a yappy little thing Yeah. That you have to look all the time.
I'll tell you right now. I'm looking up. I have a lizard in a cage, and he's got a misting system, and I could leave him for days if I needed to. And just somebody has to bop in once in a while, throw a couple bugs into a cup, and and he'll be okay. So Yeah.
He has been searching around the entire time you and I are talking. There's a a rogue cricket in the cage, and he is just picking through every ounce of this enclosure trying to figure out where that cricket is. And I hope he finds it because it was really loud last night when I was sleeping. So
What type of lizard is it?
Well, Tom, let's not embarrass me by going over all the ones I have, but the one I'm talking about right now is a yellow tree monitor.
Okay.
Yeah. And she is she's hungry. Like, she's doing the, like she is searching that that enclosure right now looking for something. So I'm gonna go give her something when we're done. But I also have a Parsons chameleon.
I have an Mbanja chameleon. I have these little, like, Japanese, they're called Tachydromis. They're like these little grass lizards. They live in, a little community together. They just run around everywhere.
And
Sounds like a rainforest.
Yeah. There's a couple of enclosures in here with a lot of tree like, trees and growth in it and stuff like that. It's my only ability to be outside while I'm in here making this podcast. But they're gonna move they're gonna move with me to my new my my new space
Oh, lush.
At some point. Yeah. It's gonna be nice. I'll I'll get pictures up at some point. So people I
always thought about keeping a lizard, but my mom, I don't think we had a lot of pets growing up, but I don't think a lizard would have been one she would have been too happy with. Some of them are
very slow moving. So if that's a if that's an issue, like, parson's chameleon, he's just staring at me. What's up, buddy? Yeah. He wants me to bring him a roach, and then he wants me to leave him alone.
These are his whole goals for the day. So he's just seated in a in a, like, a canopy situation on a branch, and he's just been looking at me for, like, an hour now. I'll I'll bring him I'll bring him a bug. He'll eat the bug, and and he'll be good to go. But some of them are very they're just very slow, and they they live a really interest I find them relaxing, and, it makes me, you know I don't know.
It's I feel slower when I'm in here with them. Like, calms me down a little bit. So
Yeah. Your Zen.
Yeah. Which I don't have, generally. Like, when I walk out of this room, I'm I'm working on a I'm working on, like, a twenty one day, like, guided program, like, a kind of a thoughtfulness program through diabetes. And, like, I'm gonna go sit down and start working on that again, and then I'm gonna lose my whole day on that. So Yeah.
It's a thing I'm I would like to offer people for free, you know, where they can just kinda pick it up and and kinda take, like, step through twenty one days of ideas from the pro tip series. So Sounds good. Yeah. I've been working on that. So we'll we'll see.
But in here, nice and calm. Anyway Yeah. You were awesome, Tom. I really appreciate you doing this with me. Thank you.
Oh, thanks. I appreciate you having me on.
No. No. Of course. I didn't know you're gonna have such a good microphone or we could have done it sooner. And and for everybody else listening, this is what you're supposed to sound like when you come on the podcast.
Nice and clear.
Should we do an advert for Blue Yeti?
Is that all it is today? Look. That's a very affordable little microphone. They've been around forever too.
Yeah. They're, like, £80. They're not bad at all.
No. That's what they've cost forever. Like, that's even even that's nice. They must just oh, they're just selling them out there to all those people who think they're gonna be digital creators one.
Yeah. Exactly. In fact, I think I picked it up off eBay. I think it was, like, £50 or something.
Yeah. Yeah. You picked it up off the sad guy who realized that his his Yeah. Little bustling gonna work out.
Just put a notch in it for each creator that didn't make it.
That'd be great. This thing gets passed around the world. It's just got little sad eyes on it everywhere. I really thought people were gonna be interested in my, insurance planning podcast, but they just they didn't I I don't know. Was it was such important work, but nobody cared.
We do see what happens next. Oh, yeah. Yeah. The Internet's gonna change so much in the next five years. It's gonna be crazy.
So anyway. Alright. Hold on one second for me. Hang out here for you because I'm gonna talk to you after I hit stop. Okay?
No worries. Thanks.
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